The average attention span today is less than nine seconds (which, if you’re into fun animal facts, is less than a goldfish). Instant gratification is a real thing, which is why it can be hard to get your head around long-form content.
Surely people don’t want to read paragraphs and paragraphs of text? Do they even have the capacity to if attention spans are so short?
The answer isn’t completely clear-cut, but one thing is true: there’s definitely space for long-form content. Here, we’re going to lay out exactly what long-form content is, why it’s so valuable, and how you can create it yourself.
The powerful benefits of long-form content
It’s easy to think that the more words there are on a page, the more value there is. But, while this is true to a certain extent, there are other factors that come into play that make long-form content valuable:
- More backlinks: long-form content significantly outperforms shorter content when it comes to securing backlinks and improving SEO
- Additional keyword ranking: longer content tends to have a higher number of keywords, which means there are more ranking opportunities
- Higher conversion rates: long-form content typically converts at a higher rate than shorter content because readers give it more of their attention. One study from Crazy Egg revealed that conversion rates can increase by over 30% when significantly increasing the length of a page
- Secure thought leadership: long-form content tends to educate the reader, which elevates your position as an industry expert
- Increase time spent on page: obviously, the longer a piece of content is, the more time it takes to read. Users stick around for longer, lowering bounce rate and increasing their chances of converting
Long-form vs short form: which is better?
All of this isn’t to say that short-form content is redundant - far from it, in fact. But there is a time and a place for both long- and short-form content, depending on the purpose of your piece and who you’re trying to target with it.
Short-form content: the stats
Short-form content usually comes in at less than 1,200 words (although some marketers say that 1,000 words is the cut-off point). Pieces are usually short and snappy, like news articles or product updates, and they cover just a small area of a topic.
Common short-form content types include:
- Short blog posts
- Social media content
- Newsletters
- News articles
- Infographics
- Product updates
- Product descriptions
The idea behind short-form copy is that it’s quick to consume and quick to create. Its aim is usually to get across one message in the most efficient way possible.
Long-form content: the stats
As you can probably guess, long-form content typically has 1,200 words or more (or over 1,000 words if you’re one of the marketers we spoke about before). Rather than covering one thing quickly and concisely, long-form content aims to dive deeper into a topic and cover it in great detail.
The aim is to capture the attention of the reader and engage them the entire way through. They should walk away with added value, whether that’s having learned something new or discovering a new fact or trend about your industry.
So, is long-form or short-form content better?
There are no winners here. If your piece doesn’t need to be 2,000 words and you’re pouring out fluff just to hit the word count, you’re not going to get the results you want. Likewise, if you try to cram a complex topic into 500 words, it’s not going to give readers the value they expect.
Basically, the length of content needs to fit the purpose of the piece. Think about whether you want to:
- Educate the reader on a new system or process
- Share some company news
- Convert new visitors onto a free trial
- Establish your position as an industry expert
- Aid lead generation
Each purpose will require a different amount of information and, therefore, a different word count. For example, if you’re educating the reader on a new process that’s trending in your industry, you’ll probably need a longer post to explain it in detail. On the flip side, if you’re simply sharing industry or company news, you might find that a few hundred words do the job.
Understanding the search intent behind the keywords you’re targeting will also help, but we’ll talk a bit more about this later on. The reason long-form content tends to outperform shorter content in the search engines is that it covers a topic in greater depth which often means it provides a comprehensive (and one of the best) result.
6 popular types of long-form content
Long-form content can come in many different shapes and sizes. It can refer to an ebook as well as a multi-page case study, guide, or landing page.
Long blog posts
Long blog posts are the most common form of long-form content online because they allow for a thorough exploration of a topic.
By delving deep into a subject, long blog posts can provide valuable insights, detailed explanations, and comprehensive information that shorter forms of content may not convey effectively.
This depth of coverage not only helps in establishing credibility and authority but also enhances the reader's understanding and engagement. Search engines generally favor longer content, as it offers more value to the reader, making it more likely to rank higher in search results.
Long blog posts also have the flexibility to incorporate various media types, such as images, videos, and infographics, making the content more engaging and informative.
Evergreen pages (or pillar posts)
Evergreen content is powerful because it stands the test of time by providing enduring value to readers.
Unlike news or trend-focused articles that become irrelevant quickly, evergreen content remains relevant and useful long after it is published.
By focusing on timeless topics, pillar pages establish your brand as a reliable source of information, boosting credibility and authority within your industry.
Guides and tutorials
How-to articles tend to work best in long-form formats because they allow for in-depth explanations, with step-by-step instructions.
Guides and tutorials can incorporate visual aids, examples, and case studies to enhance the learning experience and make complex concepts more accessible to the audience.
Case studies
Speaking of case studies, they’re also an excellent type of long-form content because they showcase your business’ real-world experience and value to prospects.
Case studies tell a story of how your product or service has helped a specific client achieve their goals, providing social proof and building trust with potential customers.
Whitepapers
A whitepaper is a comprehensive document that explains a complex issue and presents a solution or recommendation.
Whitepapers serve as authoritative guides that delve deep into a specific topic, offering valuable insights, analysis, and strategies. These documents are often used to showcase expertise, highlight innovations, and address industry challenges in a detailed and professional manner.
You can use whitepapers to establish thought leadership, attract investors, and educate your audience about new trends or technologies.
Ebooks
Ebooks are the ultimate long-form content format, typically used to educate readers about a specific topic or provide in-depth information on a product or service.
They can also serve as lead magnets, offering valuable content in exchange for contact information from potential customers. Ebooks can be distributed through email campaigns, website downloads, or even sold on platforms like Amazon.
Creating eBooks might seem like a daunting task, but with an AI eBook creator, it can be done headache-free (and in record time).
How to research long-form content
Long-form content requires some forward-thinking. If you don’t plan ahead and simply start hemorrhaging words onto a blank page until you reach your desired word count, you’re going to struggle to get the best results.
1. Suss out the SERP competitors
The easiest place to start your research is on Google. Run some keyword research, enter your target keyword into Google, and take a look at the results that show up on the first page. Check out how long each piece is and see what sections and information they have included.
Remember, if you want your piece to stand out, you should cover everything the other posts have and a little extra to boot.
If we take the keyword “segmenting email lists” the top two results vary drastically in length. The first result from Campaign Monitor has just 433 words, while the second result from OptinMonster has over 6,000 words.
Take an average word count from the first page to determine the right content length and choose keywords that have a decent search volume.
You could also save yourself some work by using an SEO software like Ahrefs. Simply type the keyword you want to research into the Keyword Explorer and it will give you the top results, along with important SEO metrics and most importantly: the total word count of each page.
2. Identify search intent
The intent behind a search will also factor into how long your content should be. Someone looking for quick information about a particular product feature won’t need thousands of words, but someone looking for a detailed guide about how to use your product probably will.
The easiest way to determine the search intent behind a keyword is to check the SERPs again. Have a look at the kind of content that is ranking at the top - this is the kind of content Google has deemed most relevant and is therefore likely to reflect the search intent of users.
Take the search term “email flow”, for example. The first few results are all definitions of the term, showing that searchers are probably looking for a description more than anything. As a result, the content doesn’t have to be incredibly lengthy; instead, it should define the term in the most efficient way possible.
3. Understand your audience
Your research won’t be complete until you understand who your audience is and what type of content they prefer to consume. Use the insights you have available to figure out your content marketing strategy and find out whether your readers are more receptive to long- or short-form content.
Track key metrics like:
- Traffic
- Conversions
- Engagement
This will give you a good understanding of the content that works best for your audience and help you determine how long each piece should be.
4. Plan the content you’ll include
Once you have an understanding of the average length of similar pieces of content as well as the search intent behind it, you can start pulling together the information you’re going to include.
Building an outline will ensure you’re including everything your target audience wants to know and will make it far easier when it comes to actually writing the content.
You can map out an outline by:
- Making a note of all the subheadings in the top results on the SERPs
- Using a tool like BuzzSumo to identify pieces that have a lot of social shares
- Exploring chapter titles in relevant books on Amazon
- Using Jasper’s outline templates to build a quick outline
- Using a tool like Clearscope to create an optimized piece
Long-form pieces are comprehensive, and these research tactics will help you make sure you’re covering all bases.
6 long-form content examples and why they work
1. BigCommerce’s guide to headless commerce
BigCommerce’s guide to headless commerce comes in at 4,100 words and covers everything a reader might want to know about the topic. The page is split into chapters that readers can quickly navigate to via a handy sidebar.
2. Ahrefs’ guide to building a go-to-market strategy
Ahrefs’ guide to building a go-to-market strategy sits at around 3,850 words. It acts as a comprehensive guide to the topic, giving readers all the information they need to get started. Again, it’s split up into sections that are linked from the sidebar.
3. Mailchimp’s guide to building an online store
Mailchimp’s guide to building an online store runs at just over 2,000 words. It’s laid out in a step-by-step format that makes it easy for readers to follow and implement.
4. AppSumo’s guide to increasing website traffic
Clocking in at almost 3,000 words, AppSumo’s guide to increasing website traffic gives readers eight actionable takeaways they can implement right now.
5. Canva’s guide to creating a lesson plan
Canva’s guide to creating a lesson plan is over 2,000 words long and offers a step-by-step tutorial for people who want to learn about this topic. It includes lots of visuals to break up the text and provide an eye-catching, engaging read.
6. Instantly’s guide to writing sales emails
Instantly’s guide to writing sales emails clocks in at around 2,500 words and offers a number of examples of highly effective sales emails you can use for inspiration on your own campaigns.
How to use Jasper for long-form articles
Writing long-form content from scratch can be daunting, but Jasper makes it a breeze. There are 5 main templates you can use to create long-form content: Blog Post, Instructional Post, Listicle, Opinion Piece and Thought Leadership.
For this example, we chose the regular Blog Post Template.
Jasper will ask you for a blog Topic, who your Target Audience is and for an Outline of the blog post as well. If you haven’t written a blog outline, there’s also an option to use AI to generate one based on your Topic and Audience.
From here, you can automatically generate the rest of the content at the touch of a button.
Write your next long-form piece with Jasper today
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